Dentimeter.



--A. D. CLOUD.

DENTIMETER.

APPLIGATION TILED MAX 4, 1909.

Y Patented Apr. 19, 1910.

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AGNES DEGEN CLOUD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

DENTIMETER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 19, 1910.

Application filed May 4, 1909. Serial No. 493,871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AGNES D. CLOUD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Dentimeter, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention is an improvement in dentimeters, and has for its purpose to provide such a device in which the ends of the gage wire may be readily applied and detached. This I accomplish by constructing the instrument with a head at its inner end having slots in the edges at opposite sides. The ends of the gage wire are passed into these slots and said ends each given a turn or two about the shank of the tool preparatory to twisting the wire loop to the tooth.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved dentimeter, showing the gage wire applied preparatory to twisting the loop to the tooth; Fig. 2 is an inner end view of the instrument; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the instrument, showing the wire loop twisted to the teeth; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing a modification of the instrument; and Fig. 5'is a like view, showing a still further modification of the invention.

The invention comprises a suitable handle 5, and a stem or shank 6 extending from the inner end of the handle, having a head 7 at the inner terminus of the instrument. The head 7 is provided with slots 8 entering the edges at opposite sides, extending toward the central shank or stem to receive the end portion of the gage wire 9. These slots may be either straight, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, or curved, as shown in Fig. 2, and extend into the edges of the headat diametrically opposite points and toward the stem 6.

In the use of the instrument the ends of the gage wire are passed into the slots 8 from the side and are given a turn or two around the stem 6, as shown in Figs. 1 and 8. The loop formed at the intermediate portion of the wire is then placed over the tooth in the usual manner and the instrument turned to twist the wire and thus contract the loop until the latter is tightly drawn about the tooth, as represented in Fig. 3. \Vhen the proper gage of the tooth has been obtained and the wire loop removed from the. tooth and the use for which the gage was made completed, the loop is easily removed from the dentimeter by disengaging the end portions of the wire from the stem of the instrument and pulling them to the opposite sides of the head through the slots.

I am aware that prior to my invention dentimeters have been constructed having two eyes to receive the ends of the gage wire. The threading of such an instrument, however, requires patience and time and is exhaustive of the nervous energy. I, however, believe it to be broadly new to provide the slots entering the opposite sides of the instrument to receive the end portions of the wire gage.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A dentimeter having a head at its inner end provided with gage wire slots extending into the edges thereof.

2. A dentimeter having a gage wire winding stem provided with a head at its inner end having gage wire slots entering the edges at diametrically opposite points.

3. In adentimeter, a handle, a stem extending from the inner end of the handle, about which the end portions of the gage wire are wrapped, and a head in connection with the stem havin slots entering the edges at opposite sides to receive the said end portions of the wire.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AGNES DEGEN CLOUD. Witnesses JosEPH DEGEN, CATHERINE DEGEN. 

